Chapter 23: Hunter and Prey
Although there were a few remaining Ice Attribute Crystal Stones in my belly, don’t think I’m one of those people who just eat what they want and ignore the rest.
All the Crystal Stones were finally digested after half a month, and my level increased to Acquired Seventh Level.
My fighting strength also rose rapidly, surpassing Miki’s by two levels. Leveling up like this made me feel quite good.
As an Acquired Seventh Level, I could be considered an expert within the Snow Wolf Race.
According to what Yao Yao told me, the head Big White’s level was actually Acquired Ninth.
Ninth Level?
So what, the higher Big White’s strength was, the happier I would be. After all, he was protecting me!
Anyone with eyes in the Snow Wolf Race could see the astonishing change in the color of my fur. However, since they did not understand the power of science, besides being a bit amazed, they didn’t comment on it.
Because of this, I rejoiced. Not only was I able to increase my sense of superiority among some of the more stupid wolves in the Snow Wolf Race, but even if I transformed or something, they basically wouldn’t understand or even investigate it.
If a gorilla suddenly evolved into a human or a yellow man into a white one among the homini, I’m afraid they they would probably be caught and taken into the laboratories to be dissected for researched!
Miki or whoever, is definitely the most annoying.
To tell the truth, I am not a narrow-minded and petty man. I have aspirations too.
It was just that after my blue fur grew out, I ignored her for half a month.
When all was said and done, she had insulted my dignity as a man.
Even so, this thick-skinned guy continued to persevere, sticking to my body like candy.
As I was now one of the best experts in the Snow Wolf Race, I could form my own squadron. As a result she “naturally” took this opportunity to squeeze into my team.
I really couldn’t do anything about it!
Regardless of what I just said, everything has been developing in a good direction.
The only misfortune was that the snow was coming down harder and harder. By now, the grassland had already completely disappeared and was replaced by a vast expanse of white snow.
Looking for food became much more difficult as well.
The white deer and copper-colored bison that used to be common seemed to have completely disappeared.
As the youngest snow wolves in the group gradually obtained the ability to participate in hunting for food, the hardest days of the Snow Wolf Race approached.
As I stepped on the soft snow, more than one hundred snow wolves followed. As a small team leader, I had the authority to lead a team.
The snow wolves’ white coating was good camouflage in the snow.
Although we had been out for half a day already, we were still empty handed. Recently, finding food had been very difficult. Consequently, I had been unable to eat my fill at several meals.
As for Miki, she was in about the same situation as I was.
In fact, this was actually regarded as pretty good. After all, several snow wolves had already starved to death.
One that died was an acquaintance of mine, the old snow wolf that had attacked me before.
I only saw half of his corpse from afar, since the other half had already been eaten.
Yes, that’s right, it had been eaten by snow wolves who were suffering from extreme hunger.
At that time, I had been watching from the sidelines. Although I was somewhat disturbed, I also could not bring myself break up those starving members of my species.
Cannibalism was originally a type of tragedy. Not only did it exist in the wolf race, humans were also no exception.
The wolves did it because they were starving and wanted to survive, much better than those humans who hunted and ate each other for the novelty of it.
At the time, Miki was also very hungry and wanted to join the crowd to get a few lumps of wolf meat. However, she was bitten and dragged back out by me.
After committing an offense against this big brother, you want still to eat something? No way!
Suddenly, I heard the long howl characteristic of the Snow Wolf Race from the distance. It sounded anxious, as if they had ran into some kind of danger.
The Snow wolf race was very unified, if any of them were under this kind of circumstance, they would all have to go support.
Leading my small team, I immediately headed towards the area of the incident even though it was a little ways away, about a kilometer or so.
While I was running, I thought. In this snowy place, who would dare to attack the Snow Wolf Race?
The Snow Wolf’s territory was extremely large, so I have never come across a demon beast that surpassed Acquired Level.
The Snow Wolf Race was the strongest race in this snowy area. The humans generally did not dare to provoke the pack, but the snow wolves also didn’t dare to step across the strip of frozen river in the north.
Even just standing on this side of the ice, a tyrannical atmosphere could be faintly felt from the other side.
However, the place where the group encountered a problem wasn’t in that icy area, but in an area where we frequently hunted.
By the time we hurried over, it was already too late.
The white snow was dyed red with the blood of the two hundred members of my species lying on the ice-cold ground.
They had all been stripped of their pelts to reveal the red flesh within. Not only that, but their heads had been split open and their Crystal Stones removed.
I understood quite clearly whose hand had done this.
Miki’s eyes were full of mourning, but she wasn’t alone, the other members’ eyes mirrored hers.
I watched as they swallowed the dead bodies of their brethren, and my heart grieved.
Miki also wanted to join them, but after I bit her on the leg, she was unable to move.
It would be best if Miki was a vegetarian. After all, eating fat makes it easier to contract cardiovascular diseases.
As the other small team of snow wolves also slowly showed up, there was a total of seven hundred snow wolves assembled, so the dead bodies were quickly eaten. All that was left behind was the red blood on the snow.
I sniffed the scent on the ground, Miki following behind me somewhat unhappily and unwillingly.
After not being able to eat her fill, she was quite angry with me.
Angry, so what if you’re angry?!
At the scene, I had smelled the scent of other creatures and even found human footprints.
The scent should be from those humans. When it came to this, I was very certain.
Should I chase after them?
I felt rather hesitant.
Leading snow wolves to kill humans made me feel very uncomfortable.
However, within the snow wolf pack, it wasn’t just me who had a working nose. Not to mention that the footprints were very obvious, so anybody could see them. As shown by the other two team leaders following the direction of the footprints.
While I was hesitating, the System Mission started.
“Compulsory Nature Mission: Kill the murderers who hunted the Snow Wolf Race (view the map for specifics, the red dots indicate the murderers who are polluted by the blood of the Snow Wolf Race); Mission Reward, one Barbarian Beast Level Lineage. Time limit 30 days. Mission failure: Death!”
“Death”, this word sent an icy cold chill to my heart.
“Yao Yao, are you here?”
“I’m here.”
“This mission?”
“It wasn’t deliberately deployed by me.” Yao Yao explained, “Each and every time an event where a snow wolf is killed, the System will automatically deploy this Compulsory Nature Mission every time. This is the System’s highest scope of authority, and even I am not able to change it!”
“Really?”
“Why would I deceive a petty and low wolf like you?”
It looks like this time’s mission must be accepted. Yao Yao would not lie to me.
With my identity as a wolf, I would take revenge on the humans.
However, I found out that in the time I was talking to Yao Yao, all the other snow wolves had left; their densely packed footprints extending far into the distance. Only Miki had obediently remained by my side.
I used the level five Gale and gently stepped on the snowy ground, leaping about ten meters away and only leaving behind a shallow footprint.
This should also count as a cheat, right? As long as I kept using this skill, the skill’s level would become higher and higher, and the effect would become better and better.
Just like how the Wolf God’s Golden Body skill would rise whenever I deliberately sustained injuries. The skill was about to enter the second stage, and Ice Edge was also level 4.
When I use Gale, I believe only Big White would be able to catch up with me.
I quickly caught up with others.
“Ao wu” cried Miki behind me, feeling wronged.
Clearly, she wanted me to wait for her.
When I turned around, she was at least fifty meters away from me. If I kept running, she wouldn’t be able to keep up at all.
So slow!
I really didn’t want to wait for her. With a Mission burdening me, I don’t know if the System would count it as me defeating the murderer if the other snow wolves killed them.
Forget it!
I ran after the snow wolves despite of Miki’s calls from behind me. Running for about a kilometer, I saw the densely packed footprints enter the forest.
I was quite familiar with these woods. If you walked straight in, you would reach that ravine where I got the Cold Ice Fruit from.
Even though Miki had already fallen behind until not even a shadow was left, I determinedly went in. She should be able to catch up, so I felt no need to worry.
Looking at the map, over twenty small red dots were in the direction of the small ravine.
As there was a distance restriction on the map, it was clear that the humans were there, and the snow wolves had not gone in the wrong direction.
After running for a while, the red dots grew closer and closer. It seemed as if we were about to meet.
Looking at the ravine entrance from afar, I heard a “rumbling” sound like a landslide as the earth shook. I stopped hurriedly, just in time to see a huge rock block the entrance of the ravine.
F***!
Just a bit more and I could have gotten in.
I panicked. If I couldn’t get in, I couldn’t complete my mission. Lifting my head, I saw a few human figures on the mountain.
They were definitely the ones who had sealed the ravine entrance, those bastards!
Just as I was cursing them in my heart, I suddenly heard “crackling and rattling” sounds from within the ravine as the snow wolves began to scream.
After ten minutes, everything became deathly silent.
Miki arrived late.